Tennessee Expert Interviewed on Flint Water Crises

As the water crises in Flint, Michigan, stretches on, the question of how things got to this point in modern-day America continues to linger.

Laboratory Equipment magazine, which covers not only the equipment itself but also high-profile science investigations, recently reached out to UT for the answer to that question.

In talking specifically about problems with older water systems, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering Qiang He told the magazine that the crises had been “100 percent preventable.”

He went on to point out that while many cities have lead-based plumbing systems, it was the combination of those lines with socio-economic conditions in Flint that exacerbated the problem.